Amaretto is a delicious drink, like liquid marzipan with a texture that’s earned it the title of “nectar of the gods.” It’s delicious on its own, in an amaretto sour, or in a caffé corretto. However, if you’re not an amaretto person, it’s worth knowing how to substitute it in almond-flavored cocktails. According to Kat Gallardo, master bartender at Four Flamingos, there’s another mixer you can use to similar effect.
“Orgeat will be a beautiful addition to a cocktail if you’re looking to complement almond flavor profiles,” Gallardo says. If you’re unfamiliar, orgeat is a sweet syrup made from almonds and orange flower water. It’s commonly found in tropical drinks, notably the famous, Polynesian-themed mai tai as well another, lesser-known tiki drink, the Saturn, in which it stars alongside gin, passionfruit puree, and velvet falernum.
Since we’re already subsituting an almond-flavored syrup in for amaretto, you may be thinking that almond extract would be another good substitute, but Gallardo didn’t advise it. “In my experience, I have not seen [almond extract] put to use in a cocktail.” Lighting the drink on fire, as you would with the amaretto-based Flaming Dr. Pepper is one way around this dilemma. If you’re going to use almond extract, the key is extreme moderation, as it can quickly overwhelm a drink.
Making orgeat at home
Orgeat can be bought online or in liquor stores, but for those who want to go a more DIY direction, there are several ways to make it yourself. The ingredients are relatively simple, though the process can be a little involved, especially when preparing orgeat the traditional way.
The word orgeat shares its etymological origin with two unlikely culinary treats in horchata and orzo. All three stem from “hordeum,” the Latin word for barley, which speaks to the drink’s past as a barley-based milk substitute which stayed fresh longer than milk in the age before refrigeration. In a way, that makes orgeat the original plant-based milk, and therefore truly ahead of its time. Somewhere along the way, almonds took the place of barley and thus our modern conception of the mixer was born.
To make orgeat, first blanch almonds by steeping them in boiled water for a minute before draining. Use a food processor to turn the almonds into powder, then add it to a syrup of water and sugar, bringing it to a near boil before removing it from the heat and letting the combination sit and infuse for up to eight hours. Finally, add in brandy and orange flower water. You can also skip some of the early stages by substituting almond milk for the water and blanched almonds. Add sugar over heat, then bring in your orange flower water and brandy — or use orange curaçao for an extra citrus twist.
